Former Vice President Kamala Harris is again drawing controversy after calling for the national voting age to be lowered to 16, arguing that younger Americans are facing what she described as “climate anxiety.”

Harris made the remarks during an appearance on The Diary of a CEO podcast hosted by Steven Bartlett, as reported by The Gateway Pundit.

In the interview, Harris said she believes Generation Z — which she defined as those between the ages of 13 and 27 — deserves a greater say in political decisions because they “have only known the climate crisis.”

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She said many young people fear instability in their future, including in housing, employment, and family planning, and that lowering the voting age would give them a chance to influence policy.

“I think we should reduce the voting age to 16. I’ll tell you why,” Harris said.

“Gen Z — their age is about 13 through 27. They’ve only known the climate crisis. They missed substantial parts of their education because of the pandemic. If they’re in high school or college, especially in college, it is very likely that whatever they’ve chosen as their major for study may not result in an affordable wage.”

Harris went on to say that young voters are “rightly impatient” with what she described as “the tradition of leadership right now.”

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She argued that giving 16- and 17-year-olds the right to vote would help shape policy priorities on issues such as climate change, artificial intelligence, and affordable housing.

“If they’re voting right now, at 16 and up, they’re going to be talking about the importance of climate,” Harris said.

“They’re going to be talking about the importance of figuring out how AI is going to affect the future of the workforce. They’re going to be focused on what we are really doing about affordable housing.”

Harris also claimed that members of Generation Z fear not only being unable to buy homes, but that those homes could be “wiped out by extreme weather.” She added that some are so anxious about climate change that they are reluctant to have children.

“It is expected that Gen Z will have 10–12 jobs in their lifetime,” Harris said. “They are a larger number than Boomers. They’re a specific generation of people who are going to impact our nation and the world.”

NEW: Kamala Harris: “I think we should reduce voting age to 16.”@DailyCaller pic.twitter.com/ohePabqFxe

— Jason Cohen (@JasonJournoDC) October 30, 2025

Her comments sparked renewed debate over proposals to lower the voting age, a measure previously discussed by progressive lawmakers in Congress. Harris did not indicate whether she planned to formally introduce legislation to support the change.

The former vice president’s remarks come amid broader efforts by Democrats to engage younger voters ahead of future elections, focusing on issues like climate change, technology, and student debt.

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